Former NFL QB minces no words while addressing Matthew Sluka's sad reality: "NCAA wake up!"

UNLV Rebels quarterback Matthew Sluka has led his team to a 3-0 start but things are going south after he hit the news on Tuesday evening. The former Holy Cross Crusaders quarterback revealed that he would redshirt the rest of the season due to unfulfilled NIL demands made to him by an UNLV assistant coach.

The news came as a shocker since the NIL issue was one of the top agendas plaguing college sports for the past three years due to its almost unregulated nature. It was passed by the Supreme Court in 2021.

On an episode of ESPN's College Football, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky did not hold back while speaking about the Matthew Sluka saga.

"Good for the kid. NCAA, wake up! This is hopefully a wake-up call, there's a verse in the bible that says, 'the love of money is the root of all evil.' This is what happens as the NCAA just free-reigned this. I 100% agree with the young man on all of this," Orlovsky said.

The UNLV Rebels, who are currently embroiled in a conference expansion and realignment saga involving the Mountain West Conference, released a statement addressing the Matthew Sluka situation.

"UNLV Athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA pay-for-play rules, as well as Nevada state law," the school said in its statement. "UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats. UNLV has honored all previously agreed-upon scholarships for Matthew Sluka.

"UNLV has conducted its due diligence and will continue to operate its programs within the framework of NCAA rules and regulations, as well as Nevada state laws."

The Matthew Sluka situation sparks new debate

Marcus Cromartie, the agent of UNLV Rebels quarterback Matthew Sluka, revealed to ESPN that his client had been promised a payment of $100,000 in December 2023 by offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, prompting his transfer from the Holy Cross Crusaders.

Rob Sine, the CEO of Blueprint Sports, the collective that oversees the Rebels, made a statement denying that they had agreed a deal of $100,000 with Sluka and instead had committed to paying him $3,000 a month.

During his weekly SEC coaches teleconference, LSU Tigers coach Brian Kelly weighed in on Sluka's situation.

“Well, you really don’t [have any protections]. The NIL, because it becomes a third-party piece, you lose control," Kelly said. "That’s why the revenue-sharing piece is so important and getting that legislation passed now puts that back through the universities."

The Matthew Sluka situation seems to be coming out during a pivotal moment in college sports after the House vs. NCAA settlement, which mandated programs to pay student-athletes like employees in a revenue-sharing scheme.